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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22915837">Fingerprints</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribblingLena/pseuds/ScribblingLena'>ScribblingLena</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Gen, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:08:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22915837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribblingLena/pseuds/ScribblingLena</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the fourth time he changed the location of his unfinished manuscripts. The table was too visible. Behind the basin, too humid. Above the stove’s hood seemed to be high enough, and still the kid somehow managed to reach up to the pile of papers and scatter them all around the room.<br/>This time, he made sure they were rolled up tight enough to fit behind the jars of preserves lined up on the highest shelf near the door.<br/>And what was he left with?<br/>Blackcurrant jam paw prints smeared all over his work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fingerprints</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>               Fingerprints.<br/>
Tiny red fingerprints, splotched and speckled all over the paper, from end to end. A somewhat round blot painted in thick lines smudged into a paw print, which trailed across the — wait. <em>Was that a shoe print!?</em></p><p>               The alchemist's fists shook in frustration, scrunching up the edges of the now unreadable document he composed in the past thirteen days.<br/>
<em>Thirteen days</em> of scheming, with diagrams and charts, calculations, endless trial and error, and one particularly difficult formula that took him a whole night to unravel. All gone by hand of a little brat.</p><p>               It was the fourth time he changed the location of his unfinished manuscripts. The table was too visible. Behind the basin, too humid. Above the stove’s hood seemed to be high enough, and still the little squirt somehow managed to reach up to the pile of papers and scatter them all around the room — two more days were spent on trying to sort through the thing all over again.<br/>
This time, he made sure they were rolled up tight enough to fit behind the jars of preserves lined up on the highest shelf near the door.</p><p>               And what was he left with?<br/>
Blackcurrant jam paw prints smeared all over his work.</p><p>               Varian let out an aggravated groan, then rolled the papers into a tube and marched right into the living room, livid.</p><p>               «<em>Lucy!</em>» he bellowed, «<em>Your child did it again!</em>»</p><p>               But no response came from the mother, nor from anyone else.<br/>
The room was quiet, way too quiet for a normal day.</p><p>               The alchemist looked up at the pendulum, then scratched the back of his head.<br/>
They ate their lunch three hours earlier, then he retired in his laboratory. Usually the children would be taken to their room for a nap, but it only lasted an hour at best.</p><p>
  <em>               Where was everyone?</em>
</p><p>               «Lucy?» he called again, brow furrowed in a questioning look, «Joki? Lili?»</p><p>               The alchemist wandered across the room and onto the staircase's split landing, then looked towards the second floor in expectation. No response.</p><p>               «<strong><em>BOO!!</em></strong>»</p><p>               «ACK—!» Varian's chest tightened in a gasp at the sudden noise over his head. Adrenaline sent him stumbling on his own feet, then tumbling backwards over the split landing's three steps. A pained groan followed the rough landing on his buttocks, which prompted a shrill, excited laugh from above his head.</p><p>               «Got you!»</p><p>               Varian rubbed his backside with a wince, «What did I ever <em>do</em> to you!?» he hissed, shooting daggers at the little girl curled up on the living room’s cabinet, «What are you doing up there? Get down!»</p><p>               «Why?» the girl piped, now sitting with both legs dangling over the edge, «I can see the whole room from here!»</p><p>               The alchemist scoffed, then pulled himself back up, «That’s precisely why you should get down! Where’s your mother?»</p><p>               «To the grocer,» Lili shuffled closer to the middle part of the cabinet’s top decoration, wrapping her legs around it, «she said I tell too many lies, so she left me here.»</p><p>               «Hah, I’m not surprised,» he retorted, bending down to pick up his papers, «so she went out with your brothers, and left you here with me. Just my lucky day.»</p><p>               The little girl sneered, «Your luckiest! Whoa~!»</p><p>               Varian looked up at the cabinet, and his heart skipped a beat upon seeing the child hang freely upside down. Her paws dangled in the air, her skirt up to her middle, uncovering her short, scrawny legs.</p><p>               «Oh, no. No, no no no, stop that!» he spat, hurrying closer to the cabinet in an attempt to keep her from dropping to the floor, «That’s not—»</p><p>               «<em>Hey!</em> Let me go!»</p><p>               «Get <em>down</em>, I said! You’re going to hurt yourself!»</p><p>               «No I won’t! Let go of my skirt!»</p><p>               «Then sit properly! I— OUCH! <em>Stop biting</em>!!»</p><p>               «Then leave!»</p><p>               «Come <em>down</em>! WHOA!»</p><p>               The loudest <em>crack</em> followed, and with it the top part of the cabinet’s decoration gave, sending the alchemist sprawling onto the floor. The little girl landed instead on his back, pushing air out of his lungs with a choked sound.</p><p>               «Why did you do that?!» Lili protested, kicking her feet and digging her heels into the alchemist’s ribcage, «I’ve done it many times before! Why must you always ruin everything!?»</p><p>               Varian rolled onto his side, dropping the girl to the floor in a frustrated growl, «Rule number one, little monkey: I’m <em>not</em> your mother, <em>nor</em> your father.»<br/>
He then reached out to his papers, «Rule number two,» he unrolled them to reveal the endless fingerprints on it, «STOP. Meddling. With my work! I will never be able to go back to Corona if you keep slowing down my progress!»</p><p>               Lili blew a raspberry, «I only made it better!»</p><p>               Varian sputtered, «Better?! I can’t read any of these formulas, now!» he griped, «Thirteen days of work wasted because of you little goblin!»</p><p>               Lili stuck her chest out, «Am not!»</p><p>               «Are too! Which is exactly why your mother left you behind!»</p><p>               The little girl scrunched her face up into a scowl, then zoomed past the alchemist and into his laboratory, locking the door behind her.<br/>
<em>Oh no</em>, Varian's stomach sank. <em>Whatever was she going to do!?</em></p><p>               «Lili!!»<br/>
He stumbled over to the door, pulling on the handle in an attempt to get inside, «For the sake of all that is Holy, Lili, open this door!»</p><p>               «NO!»</p><p>               «I’m serious, Lili! That stuff is dangerous, you can’t stay there!»</p><p>               «This is <em>my</em> house! I shall be wherever I please!»</p><p>               Varian bit his tongue on his retort.<br/>
She was right, he was a mere guest in that household, and not only that, he now had responsibility over her. Whatever happened to her in her mother’s absence would have been his fault, and regardless of how kind Lucy could be to him, he did not want to think what would happen if he found himself kicked out of there.</p><p>               Would he be able to find another place to live at? Would he have a roof over his head, at least while attempting to figure out some way to head back to Corona?<br/>
Would he even be able to head back to Corona? Would he be able to see his father again?</p><p>               He bit his lower lip.</p><p>               «—I know it is. And I’m trying all that is in my power to just find a way back, but— if I can’t sort things out, I can’t leave! Come on, open the door!»</p><p>               A series of clinks and clatters from inside the laboratory had Varian’s hair stand on end.<br/>
<em>What was she doing!?</em> Oh, she needed to get out of there.<br/>
Think, Varian. Think.</p><p>               «I— uh, you know? Your mother is very nice,» he began, trying a different approach, «she’s kind-hearted, and sweet, and oh-so-selfless. I have a friend in Corona like that!»</p><p>               The noises stopped.</p><p>               «She's very pretty, and— and her hair is over seventy feet long, and— and golden like the sun! There is a story to it, wanna... wanna hear?»</p><p>               A pause followed, after which the blessed sound of the key turning in the lock reached the alchemist’s ears.</p><p>               «No one can have such long hair. You're lying!»</p><p>               «Cross my heart,» Varian gestured, then tentatively walked closer to the little girl, «and all because of a magical flower. Or so they say; I don’t really believe it’s magical, there definitely is some scientific explanation, but—»</p><p>               «Is she pretty like a princess?» Lili cut in.</p><p>               «Oh, even better,» Varian smirked, «she <em>is</em> a princess!»</p><p>               Lili raised an eyebrow, then pursed her lips.<br/>
Varian bit his own, patiently waiting, <em>hoping</em> that the child would buy into his offer, step out of his laboratory and forget about whichever mischief she was about to cause.</p><p>              «Liars go to hell,» she then responded, and with it Varian reached out to the door with a growl, pushing it wide open. Lili fell backwards, landing on her bottom with a squeal.</p><p>               «The only liar here is <em>you</em>! Now get out of here, before I tell everything to your mother!»</p><p>               Lili’s eyes looked up at the alchemist, brow furrowed into a frightened grimace. Then, she raised her paws to her snout, and with it she burst into tears.</p><p>
  <em>               Oh, come on.</em>
</p><p>               «That’s not fair!» she screeched, «You never do this with Joki! He’s <em>always</em> here!»</p><p>               Varian raised his brows, understanding dawning on him.<br/>
She was... <em>jealous?</em></p><p>               «Wait, what? Joki? I— that’s not true!»</p><p>               «Is, too! You let him in and out of here, and let him <em>take</em> things! Why won’t you let <em>me</em>?»</p><p>               The young alchemist scratched the back of his neck, «Look, Joki doesn’t <em>steal</em> things, nor he touches dangerous compounds without permission. He’s quiet, curious, and—»</p><p>               «What if I do what he does, then? Will you let me in?»</p><p>               Varian came to a halt.<br/>
<em>Should he trust her...?</em></p><p>               «Well— yes! Sorta...?»</p><p>               «I won’t touch, then! But I want to see, too!»</p><p>               Varian pinched the bridge of his nose, then rolled his eyes with a sigh.</p><p>               «Fine,» he stated, resting his papers on his table, «But DO. NOT. DO. ANYTHING. Without my permission. Understood?»</p><p>               Lili gave a nod, and with that, it seemed like her temper tantrum eased.<br/>
Varian grabbed a tall stool from the kitchenette for her to sit on, then handed his goggles to her, adjusting them to her size. She looked quite ridiculous with such a huge pair of lenses on top of her tiny head, but she seemed to like it regardless. Lastly, he gave her paper and pencils — aside from those he nibbled on — and allowed her to scribble on his old papers.</p><p>               That seemed indeed to calm her, and in fact, she sat quietly and never interrupted his thought process, from the very start all the way into the following hours of calculating, testing, theorizing.<br/>
Varian did not quite know how much time passed, but he certainly recognized the sound of the front door opening at last, letting in the young mother along with her two sons.<br/>
He raised his gaze from his papers, then looked at the stool where Lili was sitting... only to find it empty.<br/>
The flask with sulphur, as well, was gone.</p><p>               «Hey, Joki, smell this! It’s so stinky!»</p><p>               «Nooo! Ew!!»</p><p>Varian sprung to his feet.</p><p>               «<em>LILI!!</em>»</p>
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